51,000 passengers offloaded after failing immigration checks this year, FIA tells NA panel

A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis, chaired by Aga Rafiullah, was informed on Wednesday that 51,000 passengers were offloaded at Pakistani airports this year after failing immigration checks, with a large number of them being offloaded at Lahore and Karachi airports.

Over the past few months, numerous incidents have been reported of travellers being offloaded from flights at various airports, despite possessing valid travel documents. These actions followed a crackdown on migrant smuggling launched after the 2024 Greece boat tragedy, which claimed several Pakistani lives.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the frequent offloading of passengers from international flights, an issue that has reportedly affected numerous travellers despite them holding valid documents.

Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Riffat Mukhtar Raja informed the committee that, “Passengers are offloaded on the basis of document verification, data checks, and online authentication.”

Raja told the parliamentary panel that of the 66,000 passengers offloaded this year, 51,000 were stopped by the FIA for insufficient or unverified documentation.

He added that many of those offloaded lacked complete information related to their courses, universities or employment details abroad.

“In many cases, passengers attempt to travel through agents using incomplete or incorrect information,” DG FIA added.

The committee was further informed that 180 FIA officials involved in corruption had been dismissed from service, while all major airports had been connected to NADRA’s online database to strengthen immigration controls.

“No passenger was cleared under political influence or VIP pressure,” he stressed.

The official further informed the lawmakers that cameras have been installed at immigration counters at airports and that monitoring is being carried out from the control headquarters.

“The immigration system is using artificial intelligence to identify suspicious cases in advance.”

He added that most offloaded passengers belonged to the visit, Umrah and work visa categories. During the current year, 8.5 million people travelled abroad from Pakistan, while 226 cases were registered for various offences.

“Over the past three months, 450 people were arrested while attempting to cross into Iran illegally,” the DG FIA told the committee.

He also revealed that several Bangladeshi nationals were found attempting to travel illegally to Europe via Pakistan.

“Bangladeshi citizens travelling on Pakistani tourist visas were caught while heading to Europe,” added DG FIA.

He further stated that 287 people were deported last year and 170 this year over the use of fake documents.

The parliamentary panel was also told that 24,000 accused of begging have been deported from Saudi Arabia this year.

$1 trillion investment coming to Saudi Arabia; opportunities to increase for Pakistanis

Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry informed the committee that investment worth $1 trillion is coming to Saudi Arabia under Saudi Vision 2030, creating multiple employment opportunities.

“If we can provide better training to skilled manpower, Pakistan can benefit from these opportunities,” he added.

The secretary told the committee that 451,000 Pakistanis travelled to Saudi Arabia last year, while more than 500,000 Pakistanis have been sent to Saudi Arabia during the current year.

Chairman of the committee Agha Rafiullah said that the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission was “not functioning at all”, adding that officers posted there were temporarily fixing matters instead of resolving them permanently.

Committee member Muhammad Ilyas Chaudhry said drivers have been provided to community welfare attachés, questioning how Grade 17–18 officers were being assigned drivers in Europe.

He said “more than 50 per cent of community welfare attachés have been provided drivers”, asking whether the ministry was aware of the cost of providing a driver to a Grade 17 officer in Europe.

Community welfare attachés are officials of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, posted abroad to assist Pakistani migrant workers, safeguard their interests, and provide legal or financial protection.

Earlier this month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that “no passenger with complete travel documents is being stopped from travelling, and they will not be stopped,” adding that, however, passengers in possession of “incomplete or bogus documents will definitely not be allowed to travel”.

“No passenger who brings disrepute to the country can be allowed to travel,” he further stated, according to PTV News.

In November, the FIA clarified that people were only being offloaded or denied boarding if they did not have valid documents or if authorities suspected them of working with migrant smugglers.

The same day, the agency also initiated legal action against those involved in spreading fabricated information on social media regarding the offloading of passengers.

FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar had also acknowledged that incidents of people being offloaded had been reported at Lahore and Karachi airports, and that investigations were underway.